goldspink



A. E. GOLDSPINK.v

PIANO PLAYER CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 20. 1919.

1 ,3 1 7,572. n Patented Sept. 30,1919.

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UNITED sTATEs VmPATENT oEEIoE.

.ARCHIBALD EATON GOLDSIPINK, 0F KENTISH TOWN, LONDON, ENGLAND.

PIANO-PLAYER CONTROL,

specincatieii if Leners Patent. Patented Septlgo, 19119,

Application filedll'anuary 20, 1919. Serial No. 272,043.

To all whom imag concern Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD EATON GoLDsrINx, a subject ofthe King of England, residing at Kentish Town, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Player Controls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to piano-player controls of the type wherein a manually operated control-lever is arranged to rocktively or collectively carried out by rocking levers without removing the hand from a main control-lever. Another object is to extend the range of operation of the simplified lever-control apparatus and to provide that more than three operations of the kind referred .to can be selectively or collectively carried out without removing the hand from the Same main `control-lever.

Lever-control apparatus of the type described according to the invention ycomprises the combination lwith a main control lever, operativelyconnected to one or more ports of the mechanism, of two auxiliary levers,

one at each side thereof, fulcrumed thereon and controlling ports viin the lever for a1rducts, each ofwhich.communicates `with a pneumatic action to regulate a part df the mechanism, for the purpose of enabling the operator to control several parts of the mechanism by rocking a group of morey than two levers without removing his hand from the main lever.

Preferably the auxiliary Vlevers are pro vided with tail-pieces which lie on the opposite side of thefulcrum point `to that o c' cupicd by the main body of the levers and cover the ports to be controlled, `with or without the levers being `made of channel section to partial-ly embrace the control lever.

The lever` may` be movable endwise along' `its, fulcrum axis and operatively connected to impart movement thereby to other controlling devioes, for example, a piston-valve to close one or more air-.duets connected with the pneumatic action; or the lever may be fast upon a rocking-shaft which constitutes a piston-valve and controls ports pierced in the walls of the bearing for k'the said roel;- Ing-shaft,A which ports communicate by oonduits with the pneumatic action.

One embodiment of the invention and modilications thereof are diagrammatically Illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing wherein Figure l is a front elevation showing one form of the improved control lever, and Fig. .2 is a side elevation thereof, partly In section;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation, partly =in -section, showing a modified construction comprising an axially slidable rockin shaft;

Fig. 4i 1s a side elevation of anot er modified construction wherein the rocking-shaft and its sleeve constitute a piston-valve, *and/ Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly infseetion, 180

showing another modification- -wherein the parts of the air-ducts in the rockingshaft are arranged concentrically one within the other. v

Similar letters designate similar parts in all of the views.

-Referr'ing rst to Figs. l and 2, a handlever A is fast upon a rocking-shaft B which 1s carried by the sleeve G mounted "in supports H. The hand-lever A constitutes the maincontrol-lever and its extremity A1 is made crescent-shaped to constitute a lingerpiece. To opposite sides of this lever are pivoted at C1 'intermediately `of their ends two auxiliary levers C, so situated, one on either side of the mai-n lever, that the voperator 'can readily aetuate lthem Without releasing his `hold Aon the malin lever. The main lever isv of rectangular cross-section, and the auxiliary levers .are of channel sec- A tion so as to partly encircle it. The pivotpassthrough the side walls .of the the `said main lever so as to close ports E situated therein and near "to its fulcrum. The'ports communicate first with longitudinally disposed air-ducts or conduits *F inthe rocking-shaft B of the main lever and then with separate tubes J, the endsv of which are flexibly connected to their corresponding parts, for example Ythe motor regulating device, or the cutting-out device connected to the wind-trunk.

The rocking-shaft B of the main lever A carries 'anoperating arm K, mounted on a part of the shaft B located outside the sleeve G. This arm will be connected by a tie or rod to the same part as that controlled by the arm K in the construction shown in Fig. 3 which will now be described.

In this modified construction the operating-arm K on the rocking-shaft B is provided for the control of the other parts of the mechanism, such for example as the loud pedal or the starting or reversing mechanism for the music-roll, and will be connected thereto in the usual manner by a tie or rod. In this construction, the rockingshaft in addition to being rotatably mounted is also slidablc axially in the sleeve G, which carries it. By means of this axial movement other mechanism can be operated by the movement of the lever A, for example, it may operate a piston-valve L constructed4 to close one or more tubes J1 in communication with the pneumatic action, which tubes are terminated by ports M pierced in the casing M of the piston-valve. The piston-valve may be operatively connected with or concentrically-mounted upon the fulcrum-shaft. In this construction the tubes J might be connected, for example, to actions controlling mechanism for accenting the base or treble, while the tubes (Il might be connected, for example to devices for retarding and accelerating the motor.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 4;, the rocking-shaft B and the sleeve Gr which carries it are used, respectively, as the pistoirvalve and the casing appertaining thereto; the ports terminating the above mentioned air-ducts .Il are pierced at G1 in the sleeve so that they can be closed by sliding the shaft B.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the rocking-shaft B1 consists of a tube having closed ends; the interior of this tube coinmunicates with one of the ports E in the main lever A, and, by way ofV an outlet BZ at the closed end of the rocking-shaft and a tube J connected thereto, with its allotted part of the pneumatic action, so that the interior of the tubular shaft forms one of the ducts F shown within the rocking-shaft A in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The second duct in this modification consists of a tube J2 within the hollow rockingshaft extending airtight through the closed end of the rocking-shaft to unite with the corresponding part of the pneumatic-action and at its inner end is connected to the second port E in the main lever. The parts of the air-ducts in the rocking shaft are thus arranged one in the other in this construction.

Owing to the construction of the controllever according to this invention it will be seen that it can be moved about its axis on either side of its middle position and simultaneously or separately it can also be moved axially by the Yuse of one linger only, and furthermore, either or both of the two auxiliary side levers can be actuated by the other fingers of the hand. As cach of these movements is transmitted to di'erent parts of the action, the operator can thus actuate one or many of the regulating devices con`w nected with player-pianos without removing his hand from the lever.

It will be understood that the auxiliary levers may be mounted upon the main lever either at the sides to which the lever is rocked, or at the sides to which it is moved axially or endwise, the axes of the auxiliary levers being then in the first case disposed parallel to, or in the second case transversely of the axis of the main lever.

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is zl. In lever-control apparatus of the character described, the combination with a support and a shaft mounted to rock therein, of a main control lever which is fast on the shaft and has a free end shaped for engage ment with one digit of one hand of the operator, said lever having two ports which open at one end into two opposite sides thereof, air-conduits connected one to the other end of each port, and two auxiliar)vl levers fulcriuned to rock on opposite sides of the main control-lever and arranged each to control the former end of one of said ports, each auxiliary lever having a free end situated in proximity to the said free end of the main lever and sopositioned that each can be operated by another digit of the same hand of the operator while the said first digit is resting on the shaped end of the main lever.

2. In an automatic musical instrument, lever-control apparatus comprising, in combination, a support, a hollow shaft mounted therein to rotate about its longitudinal axis, a single-ended control-lever having one end fast on the shaft and having two ports formed in opposite sides of the lever and opening directly into the hollow shaft, a pair of air-conduits connected one to each port in the shaft, and two auxiliary levers mounted to rock on opposite sides of the said control-lever and arranged each to control one of said ports with one end, and each with its other end in such positional relation to the free end of the control-lever that all three levers can be actuated simultaneously by the digits of one hand of the operator.

3. In an automatic musical instrument lever-control apparatus comprising, in combination, a support, a hollow shaft mounted therein to turn about its longitudinal axis, a single-ended control-lever having one end which is fast on the shaft and having two ports formed in opposite sides of the lever and opening directly into the hollow shaft, a pair of air-ducts extending into the shaft and connected one to each port, and two spring-controlled auxiliary levers mounted to rock on opposite sides of the said controllever and arranged each to control one of said ports with one end, and each with its other end in such positional relation to the free end of the controlelever that all three levers can be actuated simultaneously by the digits of one hand of the operator, each auxiliary lever being of channel section and arranged to partially embrace the controllever.

4f. In an automatic musical instrument, lever-control apparatus comprising, in combination, a support, a hollow shaft mounted therein to rotate about and to slide in the direction of its longitudinal axis, a singleended control-lever having at one end, which is fast on the shaft, two ports situated in opposite sides of the lever and opening directly into the hollow shaft, a pair of airducts connected one to each port inthe shaft, two auxiliary levers mounted to rock on opposite sides of the said control-lever and arranged each to control one of said ports with one end, and each with its other end kin such positional relation to the free end of the control-levern that all three levers can be ac tuated simultaneously by the digits of one hand of the operator, and a set of air-ducts each adapted to be connected to a pneumatic action arranged to be controlled by the longitudinal movement of the shaft.

In an automatic musical instrument, lever-control apparatus comprising, in combination, a support, a hollow shaft mounted therein to rock about and to slide in the direction of its longitudinal axis, a singleended control-lever having at one end, which y is fast on the shaft, two ports formed in opposite sides of the lever and opening directly into the hollow shaft, a pair of airducts connected onev to each port in the shaft, two auxiliary levers mounted to rock on opposite sides of the said control-lever and arranged each to control one of said ports with one end, and each with its other end in such positional relation to the free end of the control-lever that all three levers f rection of its longitudinal axis, a singleended control-lever having at one end, which is faston the shaft, two ports formed in o posite sides of the lever and opening directly into the hollow shaft, a pair of airducts connected one to each port in the shaft, two auxiliary levers mounted to rockon opposite sides of the said control-lever and arranged each to control one of said ports with one end, and each with its other end in such positional relation to the free end of the control-lever that all three levers can be ac* tuated simultaneously by the digits 'of one hand of the operator, a controlling device comprising a valve-casing having ports each adapted to be connected to a pneumatic action, and a piston-valve carried by the shaft, and movable in said casing, and arranged to control the ports in the latter when the shaft is slid longitudinally,

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ARCHIBALD EATON GOLDSPINK.

copies o! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

